A Queen for the New Year
by bluepixy13
Summary: Sarah finds out that Jareth must choose a wife before New Years. What will she do to ensure that she's the one he chooses?


To all who knew her, Sarah Williams was a normal young woman. She had a slightly dysfunctional family, due to her parents divorcing when she was ten years old. Her father had remarried and had a son, her half brother who was as precocious as they come. She had graduated High School with honors, then gone on to college, majoring in Psychology. She was only a couple years into her required program, but she was doing well enough. However, what no one knew was that Sarah had magic at her disposal. Oh, she couldn't cast any spells, for she wasn't a witch, but she was friends with goblins and fairies. She often had visits, both invited and unexpected. They would add excitement to her day and bring her news of the Goblin Kingdom. The stories ranged from which neighbors were fighting to how many chickens could fit in a goblin house comfortably. Never once did she hear about the King, nor did she have the courage to ask. Oh, she thought of him quite often; more so as she began to grow out of her teen years and into adulthood. She wondered what would have happened if she'd accepted his offer. She wondered if he thought about her as much as she did him. Did he hate her? Did he still love her, or had the whole love thing been a ruse? She kept her thoughts to herself though, when it came to him.

That all changed one New Years Eve, when some goblins came over to her apartment to celebrate. She'd come home from her job to find they had already gotten into her stash of beer she'd set aside for occasional guests. "You guys have New Years too?" she asked, putting her stuff away.

"Uh huh," they replied. "It's one of the few mortal traditions that we've adopted. There's drinking and dancing, why wouldn't we like it?"

"Sounds like a good time, so why aren't you back home enjoying it?"

Their faces turned sour at that. "Kingy has others over now, it's boring. Lots of fancy Fae people."

"Oh?" Sarah was trying to sound mildly curious, but inside she was bursting to ask more questions. Fortunately, the goblins kept talking without her having to ask.

"The Council is forcing him to choose a wife. They gave him an ulta...ultamater. Said he has to choose one by midnight or he forfeits his right to be Goblin King."

"What?!" She dropped the clothes she was pulling out for her shower. "How can they have the right to make him get married? That hardly seems fair!"

The goblins shrugged. "He doesn't like it either, but rules is rules and he's afraid that anyone else who would take his place would be cruel to us."

That gave Sarah pause. "He cares about you?"

"Of course he does, he's the best King we've ever had, and we've had a lot!"

She drummed her fingers against her thigh for a minute, thinking. The prospect of her Goblin King (yes, he was hers in her mind) getting married to some Fae floozy bothered her extremely. But how could she possibly put herself in the running instead? She doubted that he would come if she called upon him again, mainly because he was already busy. There had to be _some_ way- And then it hit her. She grinned down at the goblins. "You're taking me back to the castle."

They all looked amongst each other, startled. "Why would you want to go back there?"

"Do you want a nice Queen or not? Maybe one who will sneak you treats occasionally?"

Despite their simple minds, the goblins caught on quickly. "Oh yes, we'd like that very much! You come with us now?"

"I need to get dressed properly first." She delved into her closet for an outfit she'd gotten on a whim, one she'd never worn and didn't think she would have occasion to. This was a special, dire circumstance though, and she knew that she had to stand out from all the rest of the contenders. It took her about a half hour to make herself presentable, but when she was done she looked in the mirror and said, "Goblin King, eat your heart out." She called out to her friends, "Alright guys, let's do this!"

Meanwhile, in the castle beyond the Goblin City, Jareth was bored out of his mind. His ballroom was swarming with women, most very lovely by Fae standards, yet he wanted none of them. How could the Council do this to him?! None of these women were fit to be his Queen, though many were of noble and even royal birth. Yet he had no choice, for if he refused to pick a wife tonight, the Council would remove him as Goblin King. He shuddered at the thought of how his goblins would be treated by someone who wasn't used to them, who didn't care about them. He may get annoyed by them at times, but they were like his children. And more than that, he enjoyed his task of taking the wished aways. It gave him the opportunity to go Aboveground, which was something most Fae didn't do anymore. The mortal world intrigued him and he found humans amusing. Gods...what would a replacement do to them? No, he was trapped into doing this. So he would try to choose the least offensive woman and be done with it. He would have to lay some ground rules with her though, and more than likely let her have a lover on the side for he certainly wouldn't be warming her bed sheets. Suddenly there was a commotion in the hall and he stirred.

Jareth heard murmurs from the women, and saw disgust on most of their faces, and soon spotted the source of their discomfort. A group of his goblins were making their way towards him. He smirked at the fact that the Fae women were made uncomfortable by his subjects. When they reached him, he asked, "What's the meaning of this disruption?"

They all gave him big grins, replying, "We brought you another woman." "But this one's nice to us." "Yeah, she said she'd give us treats!"

Internally, Jareth was touched that his goblins were trying to help, but he cringed at the thought of who they might have brought. _Dear Ancestors, I hope it's not a Troll._

Then there was an even bigger uproar as he heard some of the Fae exclaim, "There's a mortal! What is _she_ doing here?"

His interest picked up. The goblins had gotten a human woman to come here? He wondered how they had managed that. He then spotted what he thought was the mortal, a tall, dark haired beauty wearing sparkly sunglasses. He heard her say, "Step aside ladies, I got this." And sure enough, the Fae women listened and got out of her way, whether by shock or intimidation. He smiled. Oh, he liked this woman already. And then he saw the rest of her outfit as she approached. She was wearing shiny silver tight pants, with a pair of high heeled sandals to match. Her top was short, only reaching mid-way down, showing off the slight curves of her hips and the jewel in her belly button. The top itself was white, with sequined short sleeves and it had words on it which read "Glitter Queen". This mortal was bold, brazen even, to assume that she would be the one chosen. Something about her was familiar, though, and it was bugging him.

He schooled his features into seriousness as he addressed her. "Who are you to just waltz your way into my castle, unannounced? Do you even know where you are, or who I am?"

She flashed him a smile. "Of course I do, Goblin King, and I have every right to be here, by your side. Forever, if you'll have me."

"And just what makes you think that I would choose you over any of these other eligible women gathered here?"

"It's simple really. You and I are the only ones who can challenge each other."

"I must say that I am impressed by your confidence, for a good Queen must have this trait. But that doesn't automatically make me wish to choose you. The Goblin Queen is not just a title, there are duties which go along with this position."

"You think any of these women here would be right for this position? Come now, you and I both know that the wouldn't have the faintest clue what to do. Don't you want a woman by your side who you could actually enjoy?"

"Enjoy? I hardly think there will be any of the 'enjoying' that you're implying. If no one holds my heart, there's no chance of them sharing my bed." He vaguely realized that they were circling each other, and despite the words he had just spoken, he found himself growing aroused by her. It had been some time since a woman had affected him so.

She sighed. "I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave."

He froze. "What did you say?" he asked softly, his whole body trembling.

"You heard me, Jareth. So what is your answer?" She took off her glasses, confirming his suspicions when her green eyes flashed at him.

It felt to him as if the earth under his feet must have fallen, for there stood the woman he'd secretly held dear to his heart over all these years. "Sarah," he called out, like a caress, noting how she blushed when he spoke her name. And then he realized that she'd known his name as well, had said it aloud, which broke the spell she had placed during their final confrontation the last time she was here. "You spoke my name. I have power over you again."

She shook her head, smiling, "No. We have power together."

He understood then, and smiled back. Facing the crowd and called out, "I have chosen a wife!" He took Sarah's hand and brought her to his side to show that she was the one he'd decided upon. Then he sealed his decision with a fierce kiss upon her lips.

After several moments, she looked into his mismatched eyes as he held her in his arms and said, "Happy New Year, Jareth."


End file.
